Bright Outlook for Fall Foliage in NC

Posted on October 12, 2012 by

North Carolina’s fall foliage should put on a vivid show as it washes over the state this month. With color already beginning to pop in the western mountains, the foliage forecast is bright, says Dr. Robert Bardon, forestry and environmental resources professor at North Carolina State University.

“The biggest thing to worry about is wet rainy weather that can dampen colors,” Bardon says. “If there’s enough wind and rain, trees can begin dropping leaves.”

Weather conditions so far and changes in day length have set the stage for the leaves to change color.

“Actually, many of the colors are already present in the leaves, but they’re masked by the green pigment, chlorophyll,” Bardon explains. “When the chlorophyll starts dissolving, the yellow and orange colors in the leaves become visible.”

The yellow and orange colors are the result of carotenoids, the same pigments that give carrots their color. Anthocyanin provides the rich reds that appear later in the growing season when warm sunny days lead to high concentrations of simple sugars that are trapped in leaf cells when night temperatures range from freezing to 45 degrees.

Variations in leaf colors are due to the mixing of varying amounts of the chlorophyll and other pigments in the leaf during the fall season. While leaves on poplars turn a consistent yellow, other trees, like sweetgum, have a huge variation in colors, from oranges to dark purples.

Bardon recommends taking time to enjoy the natural display, whether it’s on a drive through the Uwharries, a riverbottom hike in eastern North Carolina or a break on the back porch.

“What’s unique about our state is that we have colors across North Carolina, from the mountains to the coast,” says Bardon, who leads extension programs in the College of Natural Resources. “We have plenty of opportunities to see the colors throughout the state, and a somewhat longer season because of variations in elevations.”

– ford –

Media Contacts:
Dr. Robert Bardon, 919/515-5575 or rebardon@ncsu.edu
D’Lyn Ford, News Services, 919/513-4798 or dlyn_ford@ncsu

Landowners’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Aspirations Towards Woody Biomass Markets in North Carolina

Posted on September 11, 2012 by

A training model for woody biomass landowner training is the result of a survey conducted by Extension Forestry and the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education at NC State University. The study is featured in the August 2012 edition of the Journal of Extension.

Non-industrial private forest (NIPF) landowners are often not included in discussions of emerging woody biomass markets for energy, yet they will likely be principal suppliers of the resource. Surveys administered to 475 forest landowners before and after an Extension Forestry education program in 10 counties across North Carolina indicated that landowners have low knowledge levels of woody biomass. However, as a result of participating in the training, landowners increased knowledge, had more positive attitudes, and developed aspirations to harvest woody biomass on their land. Extension professionals can use our training model to develop similar woody biomass educational programs.

Authors:
Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University: Jasmine Shaw, Graduate Student; Dennis Hazel, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist; Robert Bardon, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist
Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, North Carolina State University: K.S.U. Jayaratne, State Leader for Program Evaluation and Assistant Professor

Read the complete article in the Journal of Extension – Vol 50 num 4.

For more information, contact: Robert Bardon, Extension Forestry

WVa Workshop Will Address Firewood Processing

Posted on August 23, 2012 by

Image Courtesy of NC Cooperative Extension

Extension agents and firewood-related businesses are invited to attend the Profitable Firewood Processing Workshop, Sept. 27, at the Wood Education and Resource Center, Princeton, W.Va. The day-long workshop (9 a.m. – 4 p.m.) is hosted by the Wood Products Extension Department at North Carolina State University, Wood Education and Resource Center and Independent Sawmill and Woodlot Magazine.

This workshop will address business issues of the firewood processing industry, including sales and marketing of firewood, selecting equipment for processing and packaging firewood, dry kiln drying methods and equipment, heating systems for dry kilns, insect problems and firewood quarantines, financing options for firewood businesses, sourcing logs for firewood operations, what brokers and firewood buyers want in specifications from firewood producers and market research methods for finding firewood buyers.

The workshop is open to the firewood industry, including firewood processing equipment vendors, dry kiln and wood boiler manufacturers, firewood brokers and chain store buyers, Cooperative Extension wood products specialists and professors, county Extension agents, landowners, foresters, state forestry departments, forestry non-profit organizations and others who want to learn the latest information about firewood processing.

Cost to attend is $35. For more information, contact: Harry Watt, N.C. State University, harry_watt@ncsu.edu or 704-880-5034. WERC project website: www.cnr.ncsu.edu/woodworkshops.

-hampton-

Still time to sign up for the final two Woodland Steward Series Workshops in Asheville, NC

Posted on August 1, 2012 by rwgonzal

August 1, 2012 – North Carolina State University’s Forestry & Environmental Outreach Program is co-sponsoring a series of four workshops for private forest landowners called the Woodland Steward Series: Mountains Program. From its inception in 2003, which marked the official re-opening of the Biltmore Forest School, the series has helped promote a healthy environment by educating private landowners about land management.

The first two workshops were very successful. The final two will occur August 15th – August 17th at Bent Creek Experimental Forest, Asheville, NC, and the Cradle of Forestry, Brevard, NC. They will be led by natural resource and land management specialists, and will include both hands-on activities in the field and instruction in the classroom.

For more information or to register online visit: www.ncsu-feop.org/woodlandstewards. Please contact Addie Thornton, Course Coordinator, with any questions or concerns at: addie_thornton@ncsu.edu or 919-515-9563.

More details:

Workshop 3: Woodscaping Your Woodlands and Firewise Management, August 15 – 16
Workshop 4: Stewardship, Recreation, and Liability, August 16 – 17
On-line Registration form
Workshop flyer

Forest Engineering Professionals to Meet in Historic New Bern, NC

Posted on August 1, 2012 by rwgonzal

The Council on Forest Engineering (COFE) will hold its 35^th annual meeting September 10-12, 2012 in New Bern, North Carolina at the Doubletree Riverfront Hotel. The theme of the meeting is “Engineering New Solutions for Energy Supply and Demand”. The local host of the meeting is North Carolina State University’s Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources.

The annual meeting features oral and poster presentations, and a local field tour; all pertaining to research/technology of forest engineering. The meeting serves as a showcase for innovation, and is a fertile atmosphere for problem-solving and networking. Online registration and payment are available. See the meeting web site for full details: http://www.ncsu-feop.org/COFE/.

COFE is an international organization with the goal of fostering the development of forest engineering in industry, government, and in university teaching, research, and extension programs to promote the best methods of managing and operating forests; to serve the forestry profession on matters of policy in the area of forest engineering; and to disseminate technical information on forest engineering subjects. For more information about COFE, visit: http://www.cofe.org/